Home users, especially Apple fans who own 802.11ac-enabled devices, will love the new AirPort Extreme for its all-new elegant design, ease of use, and great performance; advanced users should look elsewhere for more features and customization.

We like the Asus WL-500W for its wealth of unique features and its strong signal at long range, but its short-range throughput is substandard and there's no Gigabit Ethernet support. This is a good choice only for advanced users who will take advantage of some of router's USB features and aren't afraid to wade into those waters without help.

The Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station is a solid router that keeps up with the Draft N competition. Unfortunately, we've yet to test a Draft N router that lives up to the promise of 802.11n. As with the rest of the .11n routers we've tested, we advise you postpone your purchase until the spec is finalized.